Detroit Lions training camp observations: Offensive line shakeups

The Detroit Lions close out training camp this week with a pair of practices before their preseason finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Before practice, coach Dan Campbell explained that there are two main goals for Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s practices.

“The trick here is to continue to get, really the core of this team prepared for game one (vs. the Rams), but also continue to develop the back end of the roster yet knowing they’re going to take a majority of these reps against Pittsburgh,” Campbell said.

The first, second, and third teams all got a good amount of work on Tuesday, although the intensity was a little down, given that the team was in shells (not fully padded).

Here are the biggest takeaways from Tuesday’s practice.

Kingsley Eguakun with the first team

Ever since Kevin Zeitler suffered an injury during the joint practices with the Giants, the Lions have filled his spot primarily with second-year lineman Michael Niese. But on Tuesday, undrafted rookie Kingsley Eguakun got the honors, demonstrating his somewhat meteoric rise over the past couple weeks.

It wasn’t long ago that Eguakun took over primary center duties with the second-team offense. He started both preseason games and performed strongly in each contest. This is a huge opportunity for him not only to get in good reps against strong competition but also to prove he’s versatile enough to back up several positions on the roster.

“He’s a guy that’s continued to get better and we anticipate that he’ll keep going,” Campbell said of Eguakun last week. “I mean he is, he’s a smart guy, works his tail off and I do think he’s got flexibility. Starts with center but I think he can mix it up at guard.”

It wasn’t a perfect day for Eguakun. Derrick Barnes blew right by him on a blitz. Still, Eguakun has clearly worked his way onto the roster bubble and will have one more week to make his case.

Here’s a breakdown of the top three offensive lines (left to right):

OL1: Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, Frank Ragnow, Kingsley Eguakun, Penei Sewell,
OL2: Jamarco Jones, Jake Burton, Michael Niese, Kayode Awosika, Colby Sorsdal
OL3: Jamarco Jones, Jake Burton, Duke Clemens, Bryan Hudson, Colby Sorsdal

Bounce-back day for the WR-X candidates

On the day in which Campbell loudly declared Kalif Raymond was the team’s WR3, the big-bodied receivers finally appeared to have something to say about it.

When the team opened up with one-on-one red zone drills, both Donovan Peoples-Jones and Daurice Fountain stood out—each winning both of their reps for scores. Fountain had a nasty release against Brandon Joseph to create plenty of separation for an easy score, then physically bettered Khalil Dorsey for another score on a contested post route. Peoples-Jones, too, had physical wins, besting Kerby Joseph twice in a row.

Even better, both of those players ended up making plays during team drills, albeit with the second and third teams. Fountain elevated to grab a high throw from Hooker during an end-of-game drill, while Peoples-Jones had a big gain after creating significant separation on his release opposite Essang Bassey.

Big plays

Working on situational downs—particularly long distance to-go plays—the Lions’ offense created a pair of explosive plays.

On the first—and second-and-15ish—the Lions simply ran the ball with Craig Reynolds, who got skinny on the right side of the line, beat the safety to the edge, and turned it upfield for a touchdown around 70 yards long. It was a perfectly-blocked play, and Reynolds showed both good vision and explosion to get where he needed to be on time.

The second was just a perfect play call. The Lions defense blitzed from their right, but Detroit countered with a receiver screen to Isaiah Williams right where all those defenders had vacated. To his credit, Williams made the catch and immediately darted downfield. He only had one defender to beat, and did so easily for a 50+ yard touchdown.

Situational work

The Lions first-teamers ran the first of two situational drills to end practice. The situation:

Down 6 points, 20 seconds left with no timeouts, third-and-12 from the opponents’ 17-yard line

The offense made quick work of the defense, with Jameson Williams picking up 12 yards on a fantastic play from Jared Goff. With Brian Branch crashing down as a blitzer, Goff stood confidently in the pocket and delivered a perfect ball to Williams, who was just breaking on the out route to make the catch, get out of bounds, and give Detroit a new set of downs.

Goff went right back to Williams on the next play and delivered a dime into his breadbasket, but with Ennis Raketstraw in tight coverage, Williams couldn’t complete the catch going to the ground. I would probably qualify this as a drop. Regardless, Goff targeted Amon-Ra St. Brown, who—at the very last minute—created ample separation from Rakestraw for the game-winning score.

Hendon Hooker took over for his own situational drive:

Down 1 point, 46 seconds left with one timeout, first-and-10 from his own 20-yard line

The offense got off to a rough start, as Jack Campbell exploded through the line on a blitz, and got to Hooker, forcing a 6-yard loss and the use of the offense’s only timeout.

Fountain made up all the yardage with a 20-yard, full-extension grab over the middle, and Kaden Davis added another 14 with a crossing route. But both plays ate up clock and necessitated spikes. Two failed passes later, the Lions lined up for a kick of at least 65 yards, and Jake Bates’ attempt was not close.

Odds and ends:

• Bates’ day was, again, up and down. He had makes from 28, 33, 38, 38, 43, and 48—plus an extra point. But he also had a miss from 38 yards and the kick from 65+ yards.
• I thought both Hooker and Nate Sudfeld struggled with their accuracy on Tuesday.
• It’s often telling which players are receiving passes from Jared Goff during individual drills. For example, Goff will make sure he’s throwing to Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and Kalif Raymond every single series of reps. The last receivers in that sequence on Tuesday were Peoples-Jones, Brock Wright, and Shane Zylstra.
• Other standouts in one-on-one WR/DB drills: Kerby Joseph with blanket coverage and a pick against Raymond, Brian Branch with a breakup against Kaden Davis, and Tom Kennedy topping Loren Strickland so badly that he essentially had to give up on the rep.
• Pairing with Carlton Davis with the first-string defense was Khalil Dorsey at the opposite cornerback position. He’s come a long way this offseason and looks like he’ll provide decent depth at cornerback this year, while also being one of the best special teamers on the roster.
• Speaking of special teams, the same players continue to stand out during blocking/attacking drills: Sione Vaki, Craig Reynolds, and Jalen Reeves-Maybin. Today, I saw some improvements from James Mitchell, too.